This Tiny-Home Movement Has Gone Too Damn Far

If you squint real hard, it almost looks like a house

By Evan Bleier

Share This

25 April 2017

A few years ago, minimalist Japanese goods purveyor Muji unveiled a collection of pre-fab homes and tiny houses. They were ambitious projects that reflected the brand's exacting ethos of careful living and affordability.

And now they're back. This time with a thing called the Muji Hut — a 98-square-foot "tiny house" that, at best, could pass as a tool shed. Seriously, look at this thing:

It's not the size that makes the Muji Hut so perplexing. It's just about everything else. For something the brand totes as "radically new," there's nothing even remotely new about it.

Yes, it's a pretty minimalist structure with its laminated outer walls made from oil-stained burnt cedar, inner walls made of Japanese cypress, a mortar floor and a single-layer glass sliding door and window.

But that's it. The blueprint Muji supplies on their website show no allowances for electrical plans, but all of their photos show a lamp with an electrical outlet. What's worse? Mobility — the very thing the Tiny-Home Movement was built on — is lost. The Muji Hut has a raft foundation, meaning a slab foundation, so good luck with your newfound freedom.

Muji Hut (4 images)

“It’s not as dramatic as owning a house or a vacation home, but it’s not as basic as going on a trip,” says MUJI’s website. “Put it in the mountains, near the ocean, or in a garden, and it immediately blends in with the surroundings, inviting you to a whole new life.”

What in the what? In what kind of fantasyland do any of those words make sense?

The Muji Hut will be released this fall and cost around $27,000 (!), construction cost included. The good news: at least as of this writing, they'll only be available in Japan.